Not your father's vampires

Not the usual vampires

When you think of vampires, you think of fanged bloodsucking creatures of the night! Burn in sunlight,being in a coffin or sleeping somewhere in daylight, drinking blood, hating garlic and holy objects etc. Even you think stuff like Fright Night, Blade, Buffy, Lost Boys, From Dusk Till Dawn and others for vampire movies.

That's where your wrong! Not all vampires are the same stereotype. There are many kinds of different vampires in world legends from Africa to all the way to Asia around the world! Not all vampires burn in the sunlight for only the more familar European vampire burns in the sunlight as some stories and movies made that up as some vampires usually get weakened of their powers to become regular humans in daylight while some are free to roam in sunlight.

Some can't always be killed in the heart or sunlight for some can only be destroyed by decapictation, regular water, fire, gold or copper rather than silver or by any other means. Some don't always require fangs but rather sharp as blades regular teeth while some have jagged shark-esque teeth like some African breeds of vampires, some can be cannibalistic as they just just crave for your blood but your organs as they can suck the blood from the organ or fetus they rip from a pregnant woman's stomach then eat it. Some appear like beasts, animal-like or even like goblins than regular human looking. And NOT all vampires suck blood for some can suck out energy/youth/souls/lifeforces out of people from their mouths instead of biting them called Psychic-Vampires or Energy-vampires. I've studied vampires since 98 thanks to research and all including watching movies like The Hunger, Lifeforce, Captain Kronos and more which taught me there's more than just one well known kind of vampire.

Here are some movies that show you that the vampires in Twilight aren't the only ones to be unusual and different. Some of these movies including Psychic-vampires (Energy vampires), vampires with no fangs, daywalking ones etc.

The Hunger (1983): Excellent example of how vampires aren't the same stereotype, David Bowie with Susan Surandon and Catheinr Devenue star. The Egyptian vampires in this movie require no fangs but sharp teeth that is regular instead with a dagger to slice people's necks then drink their blood, they don't burn in the sunlight for they can party day and night even in nightclubs, sleep anytime they want, be beautiful regular people and crave for the red stuff.

Lifeforce (1985): Another underrated excellent example that a vampire isn't the same creature you know from Blade, Buffy, Dracula, Ann Rice etc. These vampires are alien beings! they suck out energy to turn people into zombie-vampire crossbreeds in London to turn the city into a big disaster zone. The alien space vampires in this movie are an ancient race of vampires who are the ancestors and origin to the vampires, zombies and succubus creatures of our legends and mythologies. However they don't have fangs nor suck blood for these humanoid creatures suck out energy/lifeforce/youth/souls out instead of blood. They do have Dracula-esque traits like becoming energy mist, becoming giant bat-like creatures, not affected by churchs, sleeping in energy crystals like coffins, etc. including a different way of stabbing them, the film also gives a unique twist to vampire lore by saying that vampires did in fact existed in time but instead of being the undead from the grave, they were aliens from another planet. The Buck Rogers Space Vampire episode did the same thing.

The Keep (1983): Superb cult Sci-fi horror fantasy classic from Michael Mann! it's got an ancient evil unleashed in WWII Romania, the creature in this movie is a vampiric Golem creature that is considered in the original novel to be the source of all vampires. This being sucks out energy instead of blood.

Martin (1977): Quality George Romero cult fave i always enjoyed! This one has a teenage boy who believes he is a vampire as he drugs people at night then slits their throats and wrists with a razor blade. He does like garlic but dislikes being in daylight even though it doesn't kill him, hunts at night and is like a predator.

Planet of the Vampires (1966): Italian/Spanish Sci-fi fave from the legendary Mario Bava! here this movie was an inspiration to many space vampire stuff to come such as Vampirella comics, Lifeforce to even Buck Rogers. The vampiric aliens in this movie have no fangs and sleep under rocks like vampires do in coffins for they suck energy out instead of blood while some do drink blood.

Captain Kronos Vampire Hunter (1974): This overlooked cult fave from Hammer gives the vampire genre a boost. The vampires in this movie do walk in the daylight but in cloaks as they do have fangs yet bite people as they don't suck their blood, they do open their victims mouths then suck out their lifeforce/youth instead to turn them old. They can't be killed with the usual stake in the heart

Near Dark (1987): Awesome movie fellows! this masterpiece offers vampires not like aristocrats. Here the vampires don't need fangs but sharp as blades teeth instead, they do cook in the sunlight like traditional vampires. These vampires are pure white trash ass-kicking ones that make you feel bad about the undead.

Thirst (2009): Absorbing Korean import movie from the director of "Oldboy". This movie is a new masterpiece of drama, comedy and horror combined! Biological made vampires in this one as a Catholic priest goes under an experiment

The Omega Man (1971): One of the earlier adaptations of Richard Matheson's I Am Legend novella. Charlton Heston is a lone survivor in post apocalyptic L.A. where a virus has spread turning some people into unique vampires. These vampires don't require fangs but they thirst for blood and destruction yet hate sunlight and regular lights for they are dark creatures

Rabid (1977): Lesser known David Cronenberg Sci-fi horror shocker. Has Marylin Chambers as a biker chick that gets into an accident, sent to a hospital where she is fixed yet given a new sex organ under her pits. When she gets horny it sprouts out a organ that shoots out a needle at men as it sucks their blood for this vampire needs no fangs to do it

Sleepwalkers (1992): Some unusual yet unconventional vampires here! these ancient half-human half-feline furless vampire creatures are the birth and origin to the vampires of legend including Dracula. They do have fangs but they sometimes could eat you for your blood and suck out your lifeforce/energy like Psychic vampires or like the vampires in Captain Kronos and Lifeforce did.

To be continued later.

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Lots of cult films I've never heard of. Always appreciate that. When I read the cover of Lifeforce, I thought it said "French Stewart" instead of Patrick Stewart. The space graphics must have made me think of 3rd Rock From the Sun.

Sleepwalkers is a vampire movie CA! it's not a traditional vampire movie. Like i said, the vampire cat-creatures are the birth and ancestors to the vampires of legend even to Count Dracula. And as i said they do drink blood but from men and suck lifeforce from virgins.

Nice list,but don't forget the Vurdalacs;vampires from Slavic tradition that can only suck blood (and ultimately turn into vampires) from those closest to them. They appear in one of the segments of Mario Bava's classic horror anthology Black Sabbath ("The Wurdalak") with Boris Karloff in one of his best roles.

Great article even though I am werewolf guy. I think the Daybreakers movie was great too just because it added that apocoliptic thing that you usually have to go with zombies to get. Which sounds like Lifeforce too but I didn't see that one.

Thanks gordon! there are real vampire clubs in cities with Sanguine vampires who like blood while there are Psi-vampires a.k.a. Psychic-vampires or energy vampires that suck energy/emotion/youth or pranic instead of blood.

A great list! I just want to add that the movie, Martin, inspired me to tell people that vampires do exist only not in the way you might think. Of course, Martin is a serial killer who drinks blood so if that's not a real vampire I don't know what is!